21. ASOMATOI

In the Karpas peninsula at
Aphendrika, 1 mile (1.5 km)
west of the ancient site of
Urania (Famagusta
district), next to the ruined churches of Panagia
Aphendrika and Saint George, near
the north coast [on the site see Papacostas (1995) Gazetteer
2].

Description: The now ruinous
barrel vaulted pier basilica was built in ashlar
over a 5th / 6th-c.
three-aisled timber roofed column basilica,
incorporating its west wall and the three semi-circular apses (non-bonding
masonry). The three parallel barrel vaults were carried by transverse arches
on responds, giving a cruciform shape to the piers. The nave vault rose
higher but had no clerestory. There are blind arcades along the aisle walls.
It is the best preserved example of the pier basilica group [Megaw (1946) 50; MKE 3,78-79]. There are no traces of a narthex [Papageorgiou (1982b) 438-39], although Enlart suggested that one
may have existed [Enlart/Hunt
(1987) 306; Jeffery
(1918) 258].

Modern repairs: Although it was listed as an ancient monument as early
as 1914 [RCAM 1914, 1], the debris
was not removed from the nave until 1964-66, when a small synthronon, an
altar base, chancel screen fragments and a tomb were found in the main
apse [AD 20 (1965) 615; BCH 89 (1965) 298-300; ARDA 1966, 9; Papageorgiou (1965a) 94, Papageorgiou (1968a)
8]. A partial reconstruction of the west and east walls and the north
aisle (up to 1m50) was undertaken with the use of ashlar blocks recovered from the debris. The door
of the south aisle was walled with rubble [ARDA 1972, 13; Papageorgiou (1968a)
8].

Plan / section: Enlart/Hunt (1987) 306; Soteriou (1935) 7 [both without distinction
of building phases]; Megaw (1946)
49 [the synthronon and altar base in the main apse are not shown, while the
columns of the original basilica are conjectural].